Preheat oven to 400°F. Combine tomatoes, onion, orange zest and garlic in a large roasting pan or on a large baking sheet with sides. Drizzle with oil and toss to coat.

Roast, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes and onion are tender and beginning to brown on the edges, about 45 minutes. Remove pan from the oven. Increase oven temperature to 450°.

Add olives and rosemary to the pan; season with salt and pepper. Clear four spaces in the pan and place a salmon piece in each. Spoon some of the tomato mixture on top.

Roast until the salmon is opaque in the center, 10 to 15 minutes, depending on the thickness.

Tip: How to Skin a Fish Fillet

You can ask to have the skin removed from a piece of salmon or halibut fillet at the fish counter, but it is also easy to do it yourself. Place the fillet, skin-side down, on a cutting board. Use a thin sharp knife to cut between skin and flesh at the tip. Grasp the skin with your free hand and ease the knife carefully between skin and flesh, keeping the knife pointed slightly toward the skin, until skin is removed.

Couscous with Chickpeas,
Summer Fruit, and Cilantro

Couscous is one of those super easy to make grains that hardly requires cooking, just some boiling water poured over it and it will fluff up in no time. This recipe is a breeze to prepare and is chock-full of heart-healthy summer fruit. The cilantro adds a bit of a tangy lemony taste to dish.

½ cup water

¼ tsp ground allspice (optional)

1 cup orange juice

½ tsp salt

¾ cup whole wheat couscous

2 Tbs olive oil

1 med onion, sliced

1 med red bell pepper, thinly sliced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp turmeric (optional)

1 can (15 oz) chickpeas, rinsed and drained

½ cup fresh apricots, sliced

½ cup fresh sliced mangoes

½ cup dried sweetened cranberries

3 tsp chopped fresh or dried cilantro

Combine water, allspice, ½ cup of the orange juice, and ¼ teaspoon of the salt in saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, stir in couscous, cover, remove from heat, and let stand 5 minutes. Fluff with fork.

Whisk dressing ingredients in a large bowl. Add broccoli, cranberries, pine nuts, hearts of palm, salt and pepper; stir to coat with the dressing.

Serves 6, 1 scant cup each

Preparation Time: 20 minutes

Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

Quinoa is one marvelous grain that is high on the nutrition list, It is gluten free and as flavorful as you make it. Combining it with the Mediterranean diet is a wonderful option to a nourishing one dish meal.

1 cup quinoa, uncooked

2 ½ cups water

1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

1 small English cucumber, chopped

1 small red onion, thinly sliced

1 cup chick peas or other favorite cooked bean

Greek Crumbled Feta cheese

10 cups torn romaine lettuce

½ black olives sliced

Dressing

½ cup olive oil

3 Tbs lemon juice

1 tsp sugar

Onion powder, garlic powder, black pepper to taste

Cook chickpeas in a large pot with salt, pepper and one onion; (this can be done the day before to expedite the dish).

Bring water and quinoa to boil in saucepan on high heat; lower flame and simmer on medium-low heat 30 min. or until liquid is absorbed. Cool.

Combine tomatoes, cucumbers and onions in medium bowl, with the cooked chick peas or beans. Add dressing; toss to coat.

To assemble, line a platter with lettuce; top with quinoa, add the bean and tomato mixture and cheese for a delightful one dish meal.

Serves 8
prep time 10 min + cooking time.

Peach Salad with Basil dressing

Stone fruit – peaches, apricots, cherries, nectarines, and plums – are one of the great joys of summer. Now is the time to eat your fill, since they won't be at their peak for long. And when it comes to cooking, think beyond pie, crumbles, and cobblers. These fruits are delicious grilled and served on ice cream (or alongside barbecued ribs), tossed in a salad, or pureed into a sauce that is just as delicious on Greek yogurt for breakfast. This salad is one of our favorites, since it pairs juicy peaches with fragrant basil, a sweet – savory combination that is the essence of summer.

3 ripe peaches, sliced into thin wedges

3 cups arugula or your favorite green leafy veggie

4 oz shredded Mozzarella

2 Tbs chopped walnuts or pecans

3 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil

2 Tbs vinegar

½ cup chopped fresh basil

¼ tsp salt

In a large bowl, toss together peaches, arugula or your favorite greens, mozzarella, and nuts.

Put oil, vinegar, basil, and salt in a blender or food processor and combine until smooth.

Homemade tomato sauce

Jarred pasta sauces have come a long way, but, still, none of them hold a candle to homemade. If you've been relying on jarred stuff because you don't think you have the time or skills to learn how to make pasta sauce from scratch, you'll be pleasantly surprised by the recipe below.

Since fresh tomatoes and basil are key to this classic recipe, you'll obviously get the best results during the summer months when both are in season (and hence less expensive) and at their peak flavor. But that doesn't mean you have to go without homemade pasta sauce in the winter! Both tomatoes and fresh herbs are available year-round at most grocery stores these days, so you can whip up a batch anytime. Alternatively, you can make a huge batch during summer to stock in your freezer for months when tomatoes are not in season.

5 pounds plum tomatoes

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

¾ cup chopped garlic, (about 2 heads)

4 cups diced onions, (3-4 medium)

1 ½ teaspoons salt

¼ cup tomato paste

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 cup red wine

2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar

1/2 cup chopped fresh basil

freshly ground pepper, to taste

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Place a large bowl of ice water next to the stove. Using a sharp paring knife, core the tomatoes and score a small X into the flesh on the bottom.

Place the tomatoes in the boiling water, in batches, until the skins are slightly loosened, 30 seconds to 2 minutes.

Using a slotted spoon, transfer the tomatoes to the ice water and let sit in the water for 1 minute before removing.

Place a sieve over a bowl; working over it, peel the tomatoes using a paring knife, and let the skins fall into the sieve.

Halve the tomatoes crosswise and scoop out the seeds with a teaspoon, letting the sieve catch the seeds. Press on the seeds and skins to extract any extra juice. Coarsely chop the peeled tomatoes and set aside.

Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant and just beginning to color, 2 to 3 minutes. Add onions and salt, stir to coat, cover and cook, stirring often and adjusting heat as necessary to prevent burning, until soft and turning golden, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in tomato paste and oregano and cook, stirring often, until the tomato paste is beginning to brown on the bottom of the pan, 2 to 4 minutes.

Pour in wine and vinegar; bring to a simmer, scraping up any browned bits with a wooden spoon. Cook until reduced slightly, about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and any juice; return to a simmer, stirring often. Reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes are mostly broken down, about 25 minutes.

Remove from the heat; stir in basil and pepper. Using a blender stick or food processor. (Use caution when pureeing hot liquids.) Process until desired consistency. For a smooth sauce, puree it all; for a chunky sauce, puree just half and mix it back into the rest of the sauce.

Once you master the basics, you can play around with the recipe to tailor the sauce to your personal tastes. You may prefer a little more garlic, want it a little sweeter, or prefer a bit of punch from crushed red pepper.

Makes 3 lbs of tomato sauce. Divide into smaller containers as needed. Cover and refrigerate for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 6 months.

This sauce is wholesome and ideal for any pasta dish; while adding additional flavor to any meat or fish dishes.

About the Author

Gitta Bixenspanner is a certified nutritionist who lives in Montreal with her husband. She teaches high school, seminary and give inspiring adult education classes in Jewish topics. As a certified nutritionist she gives cooking seminars, the main purpose being to teach people to adopt healthier lifestyles in keeping with the mitzvah of taking care of our bodies.

I always loved the story of Jonah and the whale. Why do we read it during the afternoon service of Yom Kippur?

The Aish Rabbi Replies:

Let's recap the story: God tells Jonah to go to Ninveh and to prophesy that in 40 days, God will destroy the city. Instead, Jonah goes to Jaffa, boards a ship, and sails for Tarshish. A great storm arises. Frightened, Jonah goes to sleep in the ship's hold. The sailors somehow recognize that Jonah is responsible for the storm. They throw him overboard, and the sea becomes calm.

A great fish swallows Jonah. Then three days later, God commands the fish to spit Jonah back out upon dry land. God tells Jonah, "Let's try it again. Go to Ninveh and tell them in 40 days I will destroy the city."

The story is a metaphor for our struggle for clarity. Jonah is the soul. The soul is assigned to sanctify the world, and draw it close to God. But we are seduced by the world's beauty. (Jaffa in Hebrew means "beauty.") The ship is the body, the sea is the world, and the storm is life's pains and troubles. God hopes confrontation with mortality will inspire us to examine our lives. But Jonah's is the more common response - we go to sleep (have a beer, turn on the television). The sailors throw Jonah overboard - this is death. The fish that swallows Jonah is the grave. Jonah is spat back upon the land - reincarnation. And the Almighty tells us to try again. "Go sanctify the world and bring it close to God."

Each of us is born with an opportunity and a challenge. We each have unique gifts to offer the world and unique challenges to perfect ourselves. If we leave the task unfinished the first time, we get a second chance. Jonah teaches us that repentance can reverse a harsh decree. If the residents of Ninveh had the ability to correct their mistakes and do teshuva, how much more so do we have the ability to correct our former mistakes and do teshuva.

(source: "The Bible for the Clueless But Curious," by Rabbi Nachum Braverman)

In 1948, Egypt launched a large-scale offensive against the Negev region of Israel. This was part of the War of Independence, an attack by five Arab armies designed to "drive the Jews into the sea." Though the Jews were under-armed, untrained, and few in number, through ingenuity and perseverance they staved off the attacks and secured the borders. Yet the price was high -- Israel lost 6,373 of its people, a full one percent of the Jewish population of Israel at the time.

And what does teshuvah consist of? [Repentance to the degree] that the One Who knows all that is hidden will testify that he will never again repeat this sin(Maimonides, Laws of Teshuvah 2:2).

"How can this be?" ask the commentaries. "Inasmuch as man always has free choice to do good or evil, to sin or not to sin, how can God testify that a person will never repeat a particular sin? Is this not a repudiation of one's free will?"

The answer to this came to me at a meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous, at which the speaker, a man who had been sober for twenty-one years, said, "The man I was drank. The man I was will drink again. But now I am a different man."

A sin does not occur in a vacuum. A person who is devout does not abruptly decide to eat treifah. A sin occurs when a person is in such a state that a particular act is not anathema to him.

Consequently, repentance is not complete if one merely regrets having done wrong. One must ask, "How did this sin ever come about? In what kind of a state was I that permitted me to commit this sin?"

True repentance thus consists of changing one's character to the point where, as the person is now, one can no longer even consider doing the forbidden act. Of course, the person's character may deteriorate - and if it does, he may sin again.

God does not testify that the person will never repeat the sin, but rather that his degree of repentance and correction of his character defects are such that, as long as he maintains his new status, he will not commit that sin.

Today I shall...

try to understand how I came to do those things that I regret having done, and bring myself to a state where such acts will be alien to me.

With stories and insights,
Rabbi Twerski's new book Twerski on Machzor makes Rosh Hashanah prayers more meaningful. Click here to order...